“There’s one thing I do know; I was blind but now I see” —John 9:25(“The Gospel of John Cowboy Style”).
I am a Louis L’Amour fan. He brings to life stories from the old west. He writes about cowboys, Indians, gunslingers, outlaws, trail drives, and wagon trains headed for the western frontier. When I’m feeling stressed or depressed, I can pick up a Louis L’Amour book and soon I’m lost in a world of cowboy and frontier action where the good guy always wins.
Now-and-then, L’Amour, in his fancy camps along the trail with the story’s main character. Camped in the open, the cowboy, according to L’Amour, never looks directly into the fire, because it would obscure his vision of possible danger or an intruder that might be lurking in the dark shadows.
In our Scripture text, we have the story of a man whose sight was obscured; blind from birth. Unlike the cowboy whose sight was obscured by the light, the blind man had no light, that is, until Jesus came along.
The blind man was healed by Jesus and gained his physical sight. The opening of his spiritual eyes, however, took a bit longer. Notice a four-step progression of acquiring spiritual sight after having received his physical sight:
First Step: He saw Jesus as “just a man!” Maybe a good man, but nonetheless, just a man– “The man who is called Jesus made clay, and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so, I went away and washed, and I received sight” (John 9:11).
Second Step: He reasoned that he might be a prophet! Perhaps he was comparing Jesus with such prophets as Elijah or Jeremiah; after all, Jesus did heal him– “So they said to the blind man again, ‘What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?’ And he said, ‘He is a prophet’” (John 9:17).
Third Step: Some time passes and so does the man’s progressive belief in Jesus as a “man from God” — Still under interrogation from the religious leaders, he said to them, “If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.” (John 9:33).
Fourth Step: Face-to-face with Jesus, this man who for the first time in his life can see opens his spiritual eyes to see Jesus, not just as man, or a prophet, but the Lord! — “Jesus . . . finding him . . . said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.’ And he said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshiped Him’” (John 9:35-38).
It was a great miracle that day when the blind man received his sight. But perhaps the greater miracle was when his spiritual eyes were opened to the amazing gift of God’s love and salvation which he received that day.
John Newton in the hymn, Amazing Grace included the words . . .
“I once was lost, but now I’m found Was blind, but now I see”
This, I’m sure, is a testimony the blind man could give. How about you? Is that testimony true for you as well?
“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’” (John 8:12).
